


A Game of Cat and Mouse

by Mariavc



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: All the goodies, Angst, Civil War!, F/M, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 10:47:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4743461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mariavc/pseuds/Mariavc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during Civil War. Skye's team had gone rogue to join Steve Rogers cause while Grant Ward and Hydra work as Fury's bounty hunters for the new Shield. The world is at war and there's no such thing as heroes or villains anymore, just enemies, a bottle of cheap whiskey and one night. Skyeward smut for the soul. Mentions of major characters deaths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Game of Cat and Mouse

She's still sitting on the bed when he comes back. She can hear his footsteps as he walks back to the old house's room.

There's a window. She could have left. The door wasn't even locked. She can walk, it's just a few cracked ribs and cuts and bruises.

She could have left.

She should have left.

Grant opens the door.

"Is this you trying to kidnap me again?" She sighs and it hurts when she lets the air out of her lungs. She still needs to keep her guard up, let him know that he's still the enemy.

Grant scoffs. "Do you feel like a kidnap victim? Because if you want to go, Skye. Just fucking go. The world is a mess out there, and part of that thanks to you. So do whatever the hell you want to do" His words are charged with anger, and hate and it doesn't even make sense that he's doing this. He chose his side. She's the mission, and the enemy.

"Why are you doing this?" She asks and his eyes meet hers. She clearly hit a nerve and he doesn't have an answer for that... yet. "I thought you were on Shield's side"

"Funny. I could just ask the same question" He says and tosses a bag on the bed. He went out to get what he needed to patch Skye up. He sits on the bed next to her, and Skye's first instinct is to move away from him, but she doesn't.

She can't let him see that she's afraid or… affected somehow by his presence. They're enemies. They've been trying to destroy each other for the last 4 months, since he took over Hydra and she started her own team. They're like cat and mouse.

Just… she isn't sure who is the cat and who is the mouse anymore.

He's just a problem. A huge fucking unpredictable problem. He doesn't want to twirl his mustache and lead Hydra to take over the world. He just wants to destroy. Lock his targets and destroy everything on his path.

Still, he never throws the last punch. It's like those tv shows where the hero and the villain fight and fight but they never kill each other. At the end the bad guy always escapes and tries to come up with a new plan for the hero to stop and none of them ever succeeds until the last episode.

They're stuck in fucking loop. There's no last episode. There's just her, unable to kill him and him, unable to kill her.

She always has an excuse. _There were civilians that needed evacuation, the building was unstable, they had hostages, they were too many._ She wonders what Grant tells his henchmen when they go back to whatever hole they live in without her head.

It's like there's no last episode for them… just a huge fucking plot twist when Fury took over Shield again and decided to follow Stark on his quest to hunt people with powers.

And yes, part of it was thanks to her and the crystals she dropped in the ocean. She set in motion her mother's plan without meaning to do it, and lots of people were affected… or killed in the process, filling the world with new gifteds that didn't know anything about the Inhumans or the way to use their powers.

Coulson went rogue and joined Captain America and The Defenders against the Government's Acoord, including several other heroes. She just followed, like she always did. But the guilt was still there, and the need to protect her people and her new team.

"Take off your shirt" He says and that finally catches her attention. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm no longer interested" Grant says absent mindedly as he reaches for the bag and takes a few bottles and bandages.

Skye doesn't even know how to respond to that. So she just unbuttons her gray shirt.

He stares a lot to be ' _no longer interested'_.

His eyes move from the bruises on her ribs to her black bra and then her chest and neck. His mental excuse? That he's still a man and Skye's just hot. She never wanted anything from him and he can't fall back to his old, bad habits. Maybe he's let her live a few times but that's just because he can't stay until the rest of her team arrives… and she's spared him a few times too. He won't owe anyone anything… not anymore, even less his life, even less to Skye.

He's on a mission. Tear everything apart. Destroy everyone who hurt him and Kara.

But the world had to go on a war between superheroes.

He's not stupid. He's a strategist. When Hill wanted to make a deal with them to be Stark's bounty hunters they accepted. It always comes to that. Kill or be killed. Nobody wants to get caught in the middle of a war between heroes… if they still call themselves that. Grant never really gave a fuck.

She clears her throat and Grant blinks a few times before taking one of the bottles. "This will help with the bruising and the bon-"

"I know" She cuts him off. "I heal faster. The powers were not the only effect" She's not supposed to tell him that, but she just wants him to shut up. That voice he was using… like she was still a defenseless rookie, like he cares. She hates that.

"So that's why you're always back on your feet so quickly. That's cheating" He applies the green-ish ointment on his fingers and then hesitates before touching her.

Their eyes meet again and since she doesn't say anything he takes it as her approval.

Grant sees how she clenches her fist on the sheets when he presses his fingers against her ribs. She gasps softly. "You ok?" He asks and regrets it. Skye's the enemy. He can't soften or might end up with four in the back again.

"Yeah" She says and then swallows. Ward's way too close; his calloused palm is now moving against her flat abdomen and it definitely affects her. It's ok. She can admit it to herself as long as he never finds out.

He's careful and takes his time. She wonders if the bastard is enjoying this somehow. "I think I can do it"

"You can" He says, "I've done it plenty of times" He applies more ointment on his fingers. "You have a mean kick" He adds and then goes back to her. "But it's better when someone helps. You still have cuts on your face and arms and I'm pretty sure you don't want to take care of that yourself"

She sighs when his hand is on her skin again. This time he presses harder. Like he remembered that he's not supposed to be tender. It really hurts.

Yeah, they're back on safe ground. "What were you doing in that crappy bar anyway?" He asks.

"What were you doing? Were you following me or something?" She bites back.

Grant shakes his head and then grabs the bandages to start warping around her. He moves her arms up abruptly and Skye winces, but she keeps them up as he wraps her wounds. "I was following Murdock. They're after him"

"They're after me too" She says and then feels him pulling the bandages tighter. That one really hurts. "Asshole" She mumbles.

"A thank you will suffice" He pulls again and this time he hears a whimper. "It has to be tight enough" He ads when he finishes and secures the bandages around her.

"I'm fine" She breathes and then goes back to the topic "They're after all of us"

"I didn't know he was meeting with you. They thought it was Rogers… hence all the man power"

"Did they catch Matt?" Skye asks and sounds a little worried. She shouldn't ask that, and Grant shouldn't answer.

"I don't know. I left" He says, pointing out the obvious, and then he grabs a needle. "I don't have Simmons' gentle hand so... this might hurt" He says and also grabs a small bottle of alcohol to clean her cuts first.

He definitely doesn't have Simmons' gentle hand, but at least he's fast. He finishes with a deep cut on her right arm and hand and then works on her face, which brings them even closer. "This might scar. But it'll make you look dangerous… badass" He teases, using the same words that Skye chose once.

The memory is kind of painful. Those days are so far in the past… the last moments that she was still a rookie, looking up to him, having feelings for him, feeling safer in his arms.

"Evil. I should have said evil" She adds and winces when Grant pierces through her skin with the needle one last time.

His left hand is on the back of her neck and she can feel his breath against her cheek when he replies. "Yeah. You should've".

He finishes in silence.

"You're good to go" He finally says after a long pause. He doesn't leave the bed, or gives her space. His eyes trace all her features, focusing a few seconds on her lips. "It would be safer if you spend the night here. Let things cool down"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll stay here"

Another moment of silence.

Then she finally moves, inches away from him "I doubt I'll be able to get any sleep. But I still need to lay low"

Grant jus nods and finally stands up, walks to the door.

He stops just before leaving the room. "Do you want something to drink?" drinks? He's not supposed to do that. And judging by Skye's expression she's thinking the same, remembering the same. "You probably could use it…"

She definitely could use it. She nods.

Grant leaves and comes back a couple of minutes later with a bottle of cheap whiskey. "It's all I could get. I don't have glasses…"

Skye's still siting in the same position on the bed. She's got her shirt back on and is just finishing with the buttons.

Ward hands her the bottle before turning around to leave again, and then she just adds a new one to her long list of poor decisions.

"It's rude to leave someone drinking alone. Maybe you could use it too," She says, staring at the bottle in her hands and she feels more than sees him hesitate. He doesn't move a muscle. "You just saved my life and patched me up so I guess you won't try to kill me. I won't try to kill you. It's like a truce… a… temporarily truce"

He turns and looks at her. She looks back at him.

"Alright" He finally says "It's not like I will get much sleep either" He doesn't know exactly why, though. It's a lot of things. The world crumbling down around him, the war, Kara dying in his arms, Shield, Hydra… Skye sleeping in the room next to his, Skye…

Grant just sits down next to her, leaving more space between them this time.

Skye opens the bottle and takes the first sip, a very long one. She almost coughs when the amber liquid burns down her throat. She makes a disgusted face when she's done and wipes her mouth with the back of the hand that holds the bottle "This really tastes like shit"

"If you're going to gulp the whole thing at once maybe. You're going to complain now?" He takes the bottle from her and then sips. He does it with more moderation than Skye but he still looks as disgusted as she was "It's bad"

"It's really bad" She still takes the bottle again.

This is really ironic. Drinking with your enemy, or more like your… nemesis. Your ex-almost-something nemesis. She doesn't think that Superman would sit and have drinks with Lex Luthor, or Batman with the joker. It's ridiculous… but this is real life, not a comic book. This world's very real heroes decided to go to war with each other. Villains became 'heroes', good guys are being hunted down like criminals. Quake can have drinks with The… what was his name again?

"Why would you ever call yourself The Taskmaster?" She drinks again.

"There's no 'the'. It's just Taskmaster. I didn't choose it. It was my men. And you're one to talk, Quake"

"It's more like a codename. I'm not a superhero. I prefer to go by Daisy in the field" She hands him the bottle again, this time their fingers brush briefly "It's just another name. Everyone gets one these days"

He takes another sip from the bottle. By now he's gotten used to the taste, and the company. It almost feels normal, like a brief moment of calm in the middle of this mess and all the fighting. It crosses his mind that right now he's got friends and enemies, allies and targets, but Skye's probably the only person in the world whom he can have this moment. He can't really place her in any category. "What do you think that's gonna happen? Whit this war…"

She sighs, "I think they're playing cat and mouse".

"And who's the cat and who's the mouse?" He asks, handing her the bottle.

"That's the problem"

"That both sides want to be the cat?" He jokes.

She takes the bottle "That both sides want to be the mouse" She drinks another long sip "Sooner or later something really bad will happen and everybody will see how stupid this whole thing is"

"If it's so stupid why did you join the fight?"

"Why did _you?_ What's your interest in hunting people with powers? Tagging them like dogs"

"That's what shield's always done! Didn't they tag you like a dog too? Coulson did that and you would still follow him blindly" He scoffs "and you called me lapdog"

"That was different"

"Different how? Even after everything that's happened you still think that you get to decide what's right or wrong, what's black or white"

"That's why you're doing this? You want to hurt my people because you want to punish me? We left shield because this is wrong. We're talking about innocent people who need help, not being hunted by the government"

"So now you're an activist again? That's just fantastic. Just because Coulson had a change of heart you're suddenly caring about the innocent and defenseless again"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Wake up! This world isn't black or white. You used to be able to tell the difference"

"So, your gray world consists of just calling a bad guy everyone who stands against Stark and Shield?"

He sighs, "Fury offered me a way out, a way to survive this. That's what I'm doing here. Nothing more. Nothing less. I don't care about this heroes or villains crap. I don't believe there's such thing as heroes or villains, there's just people trying to do whatever the fuck they feel like doing, because they feel guilty, because they want revenge, or power or control; because they need to survive" He looks at her "…because they want to fit in. Rogers won't change a thing, and even if he does, he can't control these people. He's just a man who doesn't know how to live without a war. The world is moving on and he just can't live with that. He feels guilty because he let all this happen"

"And who are you? You've had lots of opportunities to leave it all behind. You could have left with your girlfriend and start over, move on. You can't. Now you wanted in in something that doesn't have anything to do with you to destroy more people that haven't done anything to you. That's insane"

"Just tell me one thing. If Coulson would have stayed with Shield what would you have done? You… Shield's pet superhero, would you have followed him against the innocent?"

"No. I want to help. I want to protect-"

"Bullshit" He says and stands up "You're right about one thing. You're not a hero. You just feel guilty. You want to atone for all your sins"

"Maybe you're right" She stands up too "But at least I'm ready to fight and die for it. I know that I deserve it. So why didn't you just let them take me? Did you just want a chance to say all this before tuning me in? You can end this now. Forget about the stupid war and finish _your_ mission. I know it's all bout her. Fitz and Simmons already left, Bobbi switched sides, Lance and May are dead, Coulson's in jail. You're almost done. It's just me still standing" as she speaks she walks closer to him. She knows he's probably heavily armed. He always is… guns, knifes, whatever he can use as a weapon.

And she doesn't know if it's the alcohol or her injuries, or the fact that the world is a fucking mess right now. She was meeting with Murdock to join forces with The Defenders and plan a rescue mission for Coulson and other heroes. It went to hell when Shield crashed that stupid bar; it went to hell like everything always does. Like her real family, or her Shield family and right now, she's just too dam exhausted.

"There's no excuse this time. No back up coming. Just you and me and all the guns you're probably hiding. As you just said. This was never about the heroes, not for you. It's about what we did"

"You think that I really stand a chance? I know you can make my heart explode from the inside. Crush my brain or my bones in a instant" He says and thinks about it for a second. She's powerful, skilled in combat and deadly with her powers. It's funny because even before she could do all this she always seemed to have more power than him.

"No. I can't" She simply says.

She looks powerless and defeated, like a person who has lost everything. He knows exactly how it feels. He also knows that he can't just take the knife in his sleeve and slice her throat. He can't take the gun on his back and shoot her in cold blood. There's only one thing he can do when it comes to Skye, and that's exactly what he does.

He kisses her.

He closes the distance between their bodies and his hand cups the back of her head as he presses his lips against hers. It should feel wrong but it doesn't. He should remember Kara but he's overwhelmed by the strength of whatever force that pushes him right into Skye's arms. He can't hear over the sound of his heart beating faster. It almost feels as if it wasn't even beating until this moment. He's half expecting it to be just an effect of her powers, like she's actually about to quake it and kill him.

It doesn't happen. She wraps her arms around him instead. Pulls him even closer and parts her lips so they can deepen the kiss. Grant moans when he feels her tongue. They both taste like that awful whiskey and something like blood… probably from Skye's lip.

Now her shirt is not tucked inside her pants and he gets the chance to easily slide his hand inside and against her back. They're both breathing heavily but refuse to stop kissing. She moves her arms to his neck instead, goes for more, ignores the pain from her wounds and jumps for him to catch her and wrap her legs around his hips.

It can't be wrong when it feels this good, she keeps repeating to herself as his mouth travels down to her neck and sucks on her pulse point. She assumes that he was walking this whole time because the next second he's lowering her on the bed.

"We can't. We shouldn't." He says but he looks more tortured than determined. It's taking all of his will power to stop right now.

"I know," She says but her hands are moving from his chest to his abs until they reach the hem of his sweater. Grant is holding his weight on his forearms being careful not to crush her with his weight, especially in her current condition.

Her current condition.

"Skye" He says and then closes his eyes when her hands reach inside his sweater, scraping his skin with her nails. "You're injured"

"I know that too, but… it's been a long time since I've felt like I'm doing something that I really want to do" She admits and he wasn't supposed to know that, he wasn't supposed to see her this vulnerable but what gives? For all she knows she could die tomorrow and never get this, one last moment to let her heart decide.

Her confession reflects on the way he looks at her, like he wants her… like she's everything he has ever wanted and nothing else matters.

She pulls his sweater up and he helps by sitting up and straddling her legs. And for what feels to be the first time in years she smiles at him.

She proceeds to unbutton her shirt and Grant just watches, unable to move his gaze off her hands and the skin they reveal. Once she's done the fabric falls open and he goes back to meet her lips. His body hovers over hers as he moves south. Skye moans softly when he kisses the skin between her breasts and places his hand over her hip.

"Wait" He says and she doesn't even register the moment when he leaves her. When she opens his eyes he's placing a set of knifes and a gun on the nightstand.

He, then, proceeds to get rid of his shoes and socks and finally unbuttons his pants before sitting back on the bed, next to her feet.

She watches him untie her boots and then take them off. His hands shake a little, which is kind of amusing. After everything they've been through, including trying to kill each other several times, he's still nervous about this. She can't blame him, though. She feels the same.

When he's done with her boots and socks he joins her back in the bed. "No guns?" He asks and Skye shakes her head, and then proceeds to dig her fingers on the back of his head and pulls him for another kiss, and this time she doesn't hold back.

Her mouth clashes against his and her free hand reaches down to the growing bulge in his pants. He clearly wants her as badly.

Grant turns them so she can be on top and not be crushed because he's very close to stop having control over his actions at this point. And even more when Skye gets rid of her shirt and then reaches back to unclasp her bra and tosses it in the same direction. His hands just move on their own to cup her breast as she leans forward to kiss him again. She moans when he rubs her nipples with his thumbs, grinds against him in response.

Even through the layers of their jeans she can feel him, and the pressure against her when she moves feels just right, leaves her panting against his mouth, resting her forehead against his as she keeps going.

His hands reach her belt but his fingers now lack the coordination they had when he was undoing her boots. She has to stop and move away from him to sit on the bed and get rid of her pants. Grant does the same with his and then grabs her wrist to pull her over him again. This is that moment where he no longer can control it. He wants her, he have always wanted her and whatever she offers him right now he'll take. This is not the time to think about all the damage they've done to each other, because right now, even if it's just for a few minutes, he feels happy and whole again.

Skye's completely pressed against him. The barrier of their underwear is doing little to hide their arousal. She still moves her hand inside his boxers to grab him watches him close his eyes and bite his lip to try to stop all those embarrassing sounds coming out of his mouth. His hand reaches down and almost rips off her panties until she stops him and just kicks the fabric down her legs.

Grant sits up and she's still straddling him, but now he finally gets full access to her breasts. His lips move from her mouth to her jaw and then her neck before reaching their objective. He sucks and she pulls his hair, digs her nails on his shoulder and when he licks she moans his name out loud.

"I want you," He whispers against his skin "so bad… Skye I-"

She, then, captures his lips again before he can say anything stupid. She doesn't know what's going to happen next but right now this is all that matters. She's not ready for 'next'. It took them long enough to get here.

Skye feels his right hand moving up her thigh while the other one is firmly placed against her hip to keep her in place, then he presses his thumb against her clit and she totally whimpers against his mouth. It sounds embarrassing and needy but it also feels so good that she doesn't care.

The bastard really knows how to use his fingers and when he slides one digit inside her she's dripping wet, moaning his name and practically fucking his hand. She has to bury her face against his neck as she rides his fingers, pressing their bodies together until there's no gap between them, enjoying the firm muscles of his chest against her whole body.

"Oh god, keep doing that, please" She moans.

"You like it?" He says and places soft kisses over her neck. He feels her nodding and mumbling curses against his shoulder. When he adds a second finger she bites him and his gun on the nightstand falls to the floor. "Fuck" He says. Not because she hurt him, but because this is so fucking hot, and she's dripping down his hand and writhing in pleasure as her orgasm builds.

"This feels so good, Grant. Oh God…" She says and moans again. "You need to fuck me right now"

"That can wait" He barely recognizes his own vice right now, it's all raspy, filled with desire and promises for the rest of the night. That he can do. Promise things for the night. No matter what happens next they'll always have this night.

She finally goes still, cries out loud when it hits her. She comes hard against his hand and he can even feel everything in the room vibrating around him as she rides it. Her whole body's shivering against his arms and he never lets her go.

"God, you're so-" He whispers against her ear but then stops, what's he going to say anyway? A couple of minutes ago he almost blurted out that he loved her. This is not the time for sweet words. This is all they have, a night, and desire, and lots of unresolved sexual issues. This is closure.

"So what?" She finally says, lifting her head to face him, all dark, glossy eyes and messy hair and swollen lips.

"We have this night, maybe we shouldn't complicate things. I wanted this since the first moment I saw you, I think you always knew that" He half smiles "But we can't… some things are just not meant to be" He says and she cups his face with her hands.

"We have the night" She agrees and then kisses him again, slowly, taking her time. She pushes him back on the bed and they're holding hands. "We have the whole night," She repeats against his lips, like she's trying to convince herself that this is enough.

She moves her lips to his ear and when she breathes he tries to pull his head away and grunts.

Of course, he's really ticklish. She smiles at that and then tries to be more careful, just biting his earlobe softly until she hears him moan. The line of his stubble scratches deliciously against the skin of her neck when he moves to leave a trail of kisses, that feeling alone leaves her aching for him again.

She sits up, sliding her wet core against the underside of his shaft; Grant shivers, so she does it a couple of times until he closes his eyes. He's impossibly hard and she's absolutely ready for him again. So she places one hand on his chest and with the other places him at her entrance and then slides down until he's fully inside her. "Oh shit…" she curses, taking a moment to adjust to him. "Oh yes" she adds when she finally starts moving.

He opens his eyes to see her beautiful form. He doesn't care about the bandages, or the cuts and bruises all over her body. She still looks like a goddess, like a warrior goddess, and the way she feels around his dick is about to drive him insane. She's riding him slowly, in every direction, moving her hips in perfect coordination with his and it's a lot more than he can take.

He tries to sit up again to reach for her body, he needs his hands all over her, but Skye just shoves him back on the bed with a devilish grin. "That can wait" She teases and then picks up pace.

She places her hands on his chest for support and starts sliding up and down, going harder and faster.

Her hair falls like a curtain over her face, her breasts hang and bounce out of his reach as she moves and arches her back and Grant feels like he might explode right now. He wants to turn her around and fuck her into the bed without an inch between their bodies. He wants to make her scream and shake the whole room as she comes. It's not like he has a problem with her being on top, because it might be the hottest thing he's ever seen in his life, it's just that he wants her closer, as close as they can be.

She bites her lip trying to stifle a moan, feeling a familiar heat build up from her core and spreading through her body. Grant keeps pushing his hips up to meet hers and they both go faster. "Fucking hell" She yells and closes her eyes. They're both so close judging by the sounds he's making. Who would have thought that Grant Ward was loud? She definitely likes it.

His hands are firmly placed on her legs as they both keep moving. He can feel her walls clenching around him. "You're so fucking good," He growls. "Skye" He repeats her name over an over, maybe because this is still a little hard to believe. It could be just another of his many fantasies, except that this feels way better. "Come here" He grabs her good arm and pulls her down against his chest.

She stops but he doesn't. He pounds into her as hard as he can, relishes in her moans. "Come on" He says when the lamp on the nightstand starts moving "Just come"

"Grant!" she cries and that's enough for him to go.

"Oh God" He almost yells and immediately moves his hand between them to send her over the edge.

When she comes the lamp joins the gun on the floor the whole room shakes violently and the way her body shakes around him has him repeating her name like a prayer. It takes a while for things to settle. Skye doesn't seem to care and Grant... he doesn't remember having an orgasm this intense in his life.

It takes them a couple of minutes to go back from their high. She's still shaking in his arms when he reaches to stroke her hair. They both are a sweaty mess of limbs but none of them seem to care, they just don't move.

"I think that my lip's bleeding" Skye finally says against his chest. She sounds tired.

"It's been bleeding for a while now" He chuckles.

"Gross. Why didn't you tell me? I prefer not to taste blood when I kiss someone but whatever floats your boat…"

"I don't have a blood kink if that's what you're suggesting. I just can't bring myself to care when you kiss me like that" He smiles, sounds so proud of himself.

Skye finally lifts her face and rests her chin against his chest. He's still stroking her hair but then he moves his hand to move the strands that stick to her face.

"It's really hot in here" She says.

"It's summer"

"I feel kind of gross"

"You still float my boat" He teases and Skye chuckles and smiles at him. It almost feels like this is normal, like they can stay like this forever.

"The real Grant Ward. Ticklish, with a sense of humor and really loud in bed"

"That's something I didn't even know myself"

"So you're saying that I'm that good?"

He shakes his head "We could just test it a few more times" He says and they both smile.

"You'll have to give me a minute"

"You're 27"

"Actually… I'm 28. I'm a grandma. I know" She says and he frowns "Long story" She sighs and then moves to her side of the bed, cuddles against Grant "It's just a minute" She relaxes in his arms, tries her hardest to ignore the fact that two weeks ago she almost killed him, that a few hours ago he almost killed her and then saved her life instead, and that like half an hour ago they were fighting about the war that wait for them outside these doors.

There are some things that she can't ignore though. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Did you really love her? ... Agent 33" She asks and he tenses.

"Her name was Kara"

"Sorry" She says and pulls away to look at him. "It's just… you started all this… you started a war that you can't end, for her"

"I loved her" He says after a few seconds, he never breaks eye contact and neither does Skye, but he still feels the way her body reacts and tenses at his confession. "Remember when I said that I wouldn't lie to you? It still stands"

She nods and finally looks down.

"She deserved so much better. I thought I could do it… that I could help her but I couldn't. I wanted her to find closure, find good things. It's a different type of love I guess"

"Different?" She asks.

"I don't really know what loving someone feels like. But I know need and urge, something that consumes you… inside, never leaves you, makes you do stupid things to keep that person safe and still thinking that you can just move on when you'll never do it. It just drives you crazy"

Her eyes meet his again.

"Maybe Coulson was right. Maybe I'm just a deluded son of a bitch, a crazy psychopath, obsessed with something that I'll never have"

She moves her hand to his cheek, cups his face. The face of a murderer, a man that's capable of horrible things, the man who killed one of her friends and tried to do the same with the rest. Something's definitely wrong with him.

But there's also something wrong with her.

She kisses him again.

* * *

 

The sun is already up when he wakes up. That never happens… but he can make an exception when he's this worn out. It takes him a moment to realize that he's staring at an empty bed. She's gone.

They had talked about it. It was just one night for them, and then back to playing cat and mouse, hoping that when they die it's not the other pulling the trigger.

"It's late"

Her voice startles him. He turns around and sits on the bed to find her staring out the window, already dressed.

"What are you-"

"I was going to leave" Skye says.

"Then why are you still here?"

She turns and faces him. "I was thinking… about the things you've done, about... the things I've done, and Shield. I just- you killed Lance" Her voice breaks remembering that.

"It was-"

"Kill or be killed. I know I just- it's hard but- I just can't go back to our same routine. I- one thing's missing. One thing I always got wrong"

"What?"

"The truth. And I want to hear everything, from the beginning. Your family, Garrett. I want to know everything" She pauses and walks closer to the bed. "It doesn't mean that I will forgive and forget. But I want to understand because… sometimes you can't just move on. I… I want… I have a proposition for you. I want you to join my team"

He almost laughs at that but stops it because it seems like Skye's not joking. She wants to hear him, she wants to understand, but she can't possibly think that he can go back. "I can't work with Coulson. I don't want to"

"It's not Coulson's team. It's my team. You would work with me"

"Do you really want that? I thought you only worked with people with powers"

"I work with people with potential. This is not just personal. This is strategic. My mission is to recruit people who can make a difference, and I want to believe that you can. I'm giving you a second chance to do something good, not to get orders, just to help… me. I don't think that you want to spend whatever's left of your life with Hydra"

"I thought I was making you happy. You always insisted that I was just that"

"Grant just… shut up and listen to me. I want to give you an option. I don't even know if what I'm doing is right but it feels like it is. I want you to help me figure that out"

"And if I say yes… no Shield, no Coulson or orders…"

"We're pretty much Shield fugitives now so… And we make our own calls. It's a good team. Good people" She sighs "We'll try to help, try to survive this war"

"And then?"

"Well, if we actually survive… when it's over... then it's you and me. If you still want that"

"Tempting offer" He says.

"I still need you to start talking. That's the deal"

"That sounds more like an order. I guess I'll just have to get used to it, boss" He smiles. "Count me in, especially when there's such a good incentive to make it out of this war alive"

She smiles too and finally relaxes. Grant has always been a wild card, and she's half expecting him to say no, and half expecting him to try to kill her –and fail- again. It's not like she can fully trust him or forgive him just yet, but this is a start, and hearing his whole version of the story is something she should have done a long time ago.

She sits next to him on the bed and grabs his hand. Maybe she can't be completely objective when it comes to Grant Ward but she still owes him to hear the truth, maybe one day she'll understand after all and see him for what he really is, and that's not because all the bad things they've both done, but the good things they can do together, as a team.

* * *

**That's it! tell me if you liked it, and thanks for reading! you know that commenting only takes you a couple of minutes and it's free! :D**


	2. 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye's team has a new mission to retrieve information about Stark's new, high tech jail. Skye and Grant are on shaky ground after the new development in their relationship and he finds himself bonding with his new team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One important thing. In this fic Skye still goes by Skye with the people that are closest to her. I n the field and for other people she goes by Daisy.

He's getting dressed, sitting on the end of the bed as Skye studies him, his muscular back and broad shoulders; He still has the red marks of her nails. Skye bites her lip, the sight is tempting and just the thought of the past few hours make her shiver again, but it's very late or... early, and they have to stop. They have a mission.

In fact, she should be focused on the mission, getting a proper rest. They shouldn't have done this to start with. They had an agreement: wait for things to cool down and then give it a shot, go on vacation, try to make things work without, you know… a war going on. But that agreement lasted about two weeks after she brought him to one of the safe houses.

Yeah, that could have gone better. Of course, her team had been fighting him and his men for months; he was the new head of hydra, like their number one enemy. The guys were not afraid to express their point of view, and that wasn't even close to Coulson's reaction. The moment they broke him out of jail and he saw Grant he punched him right in the face and tried to grab Skye's gun and kill him.

Maybe she should have listened Grant when he said that he didn't want to go on that one.

It's been a month since, and while it's good that they haven't seen Phil again, the team still hasn't completely accepted the idea, even though Grant has tried to prove himself on multiple occasions. He has really tried to make this work.

And yes, this might sound really weird, because a lot of bad things have happened and they're in the middle of a war that's just getting worse, but she's kind of… happy?

She tosses his t-shirt to the back of his head with a playful chuckle that Grant also returns.

"You know I could just stay," He says, and sounds teasing but he's serious about it. "It's already 2am" He turns and looks at her. She's leaning against the headboard and he knows that there's nothing under that white sheet that covers her body. He definitely means it.

"And then we'll get no sleep at all. I know you. We still have places to be, wars to win"

Grant knows that's not the reason, at least not the only one "They know. They're not stupid. And I still think that Sparkles is jealous"

"Come on. Stop calling him that" She sighs and watches him put his t-shirt back. That's a good thing, because she was really having trouble concentrating in their conversation "Please just-"

"I've been good"

"I know I just- I know that they know. I'm supposed to be the team leader, they have to trust me, and trust my judgment and decisions, and it's bad enough that I-" she stops because something in her stupid brain decides to start working again, but Grant still turns to see her.

"That you what? Sleep with the enemy?"

"You're not the enemy. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I don't regret anything. We just have to be careful" she tries to fix it but his expression still fades. "If we don't have our heads in the game… I don't wanna get killed or watch you die, you know?

He stands up and walks to the door "Yeah. Careful. We'll be careful. Goodnight Skye"

"Grant, wait" She holds the sheet against her chest with one hand and tries to sit up but he leaves.

Shit.

She leans back against the headboard. It's been complicated, she knows that they have a good thing here, and Grant knows that too but this can't cost her the trust of the team and the success of their missions. They need to be focused and trust her, but it's hard when she also knows that they should have waited. Steve has put a lot of trust in her.

It's hard. Not let them think that she's distracted, or loosing her ability to lead and assess the threats while not letting Grant think that she doesn't care about him. They've worked a lot of shit so far. They both decided to build everything back up, and it certainly is a very good incentive to survive, but she also intends to keep the team alive.

She has to focus now. Tomorrow is an important day; if- when they succeed it will be important for their side. Steve says that things will get better once they free all the prisoners from Stark's super high-tech jail, and they need all the specs. It should be easy, is basically stealing from a contractor, getting intel, and getting back home.

* * *

Of course, it's always easier said than done when you're a team of international fugitives.

Of course, they were expecting them.

"We need back up now" Skye says. She's in comms with Coulson. She sees how Grant tenses but he doesn't protest. They do need back up. Hydra is here, War Machine is here and they can't surrender now. 42, Stark and Pym's prison, is now holding captive more than 200 inhumans and heroes. They were not only included in the registration initiative but also implanted with tracking chips and power inhibitors.

So the mission was simple enough, get inside Damage Control, the contractor that built the prison and was also in charge of cleaning the mess after every super hero related battle in the world; and steal the blueprints and project details to plan an attack to rescue the prisoners.

"I don't think that Rhodes will try to kill us, but Hydra… that's a whole other story" Skye says and, of course, eyes are set on Grant.

He decides to speak "Maybe I can try to deal with them"

"You crazy? They'll shoot you on sight"

"Not if I shoot them first" Grant replies and loads his riffle. He's got that cocky grin on his face.

Lincoln sighs, "I can go with him" he says and Skye hesitates for a second.

Grant speaks again "We can't hack into Damage Control, you're the only one who can do it. So you need to go and do that while we keep guard. So, boss, what are our orders?"

That's exactly the kind of situation that she hates. They're right, and they have a mission, but… - "Ok, you two go to the southwest entrance, down the bassement. Don't let them get inside. Slingshot, take the rest of the team and go north. Wait for Coulson's team and then wait for my orders, ok?" The whole team nods and immediately obeys Skye's orders.

She grabs Grant's hand before he's gone. "Hey… about last night-" She squeezes before letting go.

"Don't worry about it"

"Ward-"

"It's ok" He smiles and then leaves.

And it feels weird. It feels like something really bad is about to happen but then, that's how they live. It's always this awful feeling… maybe she's just paranoid, tired of loosing and hoping before things go bad. She faces a few soldiers as she walks inside the building. They're sent flying against walls and their weapons blown into pieces. She doesn't use one bullet as she reaches the main office.

She puts her riffle on the desk and plugs a hard drive to start working.

* * *

As it turns out, Sparkles isn't half bad with those powers, Grant thinks. The group of soldiers doesn't pose much of a threat against them.

"You can't say I didn't give you the chance to walk away" He says to one of the Hydra soldiers as he punches him in the stomach and then grabs his vest, pushing and using him as a shield when the others start shooting.

Grant moves fast, drops the body when he's closer to the others and then grabs a pistol in each hand, precisely shooting each one of his 5 targets within seconds. Then a body flies into his line of sight and he turns to Lincoln. "Nice one"

"But there will be more coming"

* * *

Skye's almost done. She's got all the Intel on 42, the prison, and is ready to go… but then she sees it, another encrypted file, even larger that the rest of them and with layers and layers of encryption. "What the…"

She taps quickly, glances at her wristwatch. They have to go.

But this seems important.

It is important.

But then, she's interrupted when something breaks through the roof and inside the office. Her first instinct is to take the hard drive and take cover behind the desk.

"Please don't make this dificult" Rhodes says and then lifts the mask of his suit. "Daisy…" He says.

"Come on. You know that the last thing I want is to fight you" She says and then gets up, slowly.

"We agree on that. So… I'm gonna need you to come with me"

"James, you need to listen to me. I found something here, and it's bad. You can't trust Damage Control and Hydra"

"Then we'll do something about it, but that's not up to you, not even up to me"

"This is not about missions, it's abut what's really going on here." She grabs the screen and turns it around. "Look for yourself"

He frowns but steps closer, looks at the screen.

"This is… impossible," He says

"And now you gave them control over people with powers. They've been financing attacks long before the war started; they gave crossbones the means to level half a city. James, we're not the bad guys. You know that"

"We all know that, but it still seems like we can't stop this" He looks at her, his mask comes down.

"James…" She says and as her hands close into fists the metal on Rhodey's suit starts to shake.

* * *

"Lincoln!" Grant yells when one of the soldiers throws a paralyzing grenade. It explodes and immediately renders him unconscious. "Damn it"

"Look at that!" One of the guys says, the one that used to be his second in command. "He is on his own now"

"I would be intimidated by that, but I just can't take you seriously anymore. I mean, you let a guy wearing way too much purple take the reins" Grant says, counts the soldiers. There are 7 still standing, all of them already aiming their rifles at him.

"At least we know we can trust the Baron. He's got plans, you know? All you did was drag us into your personal vendetta and then leave us for a nice pair of legs. You wasted our time, all for woman"

"Come on guys, we had fun. And in my defence, it's a really good woman"

The man shoots at Grant's leg and he falls, growls in pain.

"You never had the balls, Ward. You always need someone to come and save your ass" He places his boot on Grant's injured leg and preses "Are you going to call your girlfriend now?" He puts the gun against Grant's head.

Grant smiles. "Funny that you say that. That's exactly what I'm going to do" With a quick move he grabs the man's wrist to give some space between the gun and his head. "Now!"

In a second, the gun comes apart and when the rest of the hydra soldiers turn around the floor shakes under their feet, cracks open, making them loose their balance.

Grant uses the distraction to tackle the man to the ground and punch him repeatedly while Skye sends the rest of them flying and through the glass of one of the rooms.

"What the hell were you thinking!" She snaps.

He finally knocks the man unconscious, hearing the crack of his nose under his fist.

"Lincoln is out we- are you ok?" He says and finally notices that Skye is bleeding and limping.

"You should see the other guy" She sighs and then taps her comms "We need help here. Send Manifold. We have a man down and two injured. The rest of the team is ready for extraction"

"Skye…"

She takes her Icer out and aims at him. "What the hell!" He almost jumps off the other guy's body when Skye shoots the hydra soldier in the head, twice. "Skye?"

"The son of a bitch almost killed you. You could have died, you dumbass"

"But you saved me. My hero" He tries to smile but she knows that he's in pain. "You found Rhodes?"

"I found Rhodes" She sighs and rests against a wall. "Left him a present too, a copy of some interesting deals that Zemo made between Hydra and damage control. Do you think we can tie these guys up? After the things I found, Hydra's not gonna be a problem anymore"

"Maybe we should just wait and…you know, not move" He says, sitting on the floor

* * *

They don't go back to the house, but one of Coulson's bases. Skye is dragged to a meeting with Coulson, Wilson and Barton while Grant and Lincoln are taken for medical attention.

"Skye should be here," Grant says. "She's injured"

"She's fine" Jerry says. The whole team is there.

"You didn't took a metal fist to your face"

"I could"

"Look, she'll be here soon and then she'll tell us what this is all about." Lincoln adds.

"What she found there must be really important if we're here"

"Ward's just nervous because half of this base wants to kill him, starting by Coulson" Yo-yo says and then there's an awkward silence, which prompts her to keep talking "Hey, I'm just saying that maybe we should be at the house. It's not like we want you dead too. Even though you're kind of pain in the ass sometimes"

"Thanks? I guess" Grant says.

"You're part of the team" Lincoln adds "That's what she's trying to say"

"Exactly" The woman says.

He's never alone with the team like this. Always with Skye or on his own, training, reading a book, just… not this kind of team-bonding, because they used to look at him like the enemy, but things are changing now, which feels kind of good.

A few minutes later, Skye joins them in the room.

"We're staying here," She says.

"What?" Lincoln asks, "What happened?"

She sighs. "Cap is coming here tomorrow. He's going to tell you all about it, plan our next move. It's going to be soon"

"So what you found… it was big" Yo-yo says and Skye nods.

"We need to be prepared. So try to get some rest. We did good today"

The team obeys and they all retreat to their rooms. Grant stays, he's still sitting on one of the medical beds.

"Hey" She smiles at him, walks closer and grabs his hand.

"You need to cheek on your leg" He says.

"I will I… just have a few more things to do"

"It's not like we're going to loose the war if you take a break, Skye" He says and she almost laughs at that "What?"

"A war. We are in the middle of a freaking war. Maybe we won't loose if I take a break but we might still loose. What's gonna happen then?"

"Whatever happens, we get out"

"That's your solution to everything" She looks down.

"That's what you promised"

"But a promise doesn't make us immortals, or invulnerable"

"Skye" He says, and grabs her arm. "Nothing is going to happen to us. Let's just-"

"Let's just not talk about it ok? You need to rest and I'll probably work late" She avoids his eyes, steps out of his reach. "I'll check on you later, ok?"

He doesn't protest and she knows that he's pissed. It's not like he really believes in the cause, but she doesn't blame him. She's been questioning this whole thing the last few days. It's nonsense, it's just violence and a lot of innocent people have gotten hurt.

And she's afraid. So far, nothing has ever had a happy ending for her, why start hoping for that now?


	3. There's no Winners in War Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go south for the team during a mission and Skye is forced to face his fears and take the next step for Grant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More mentions of the Secret Warriors! Don't forget to tell me what you think :) I would love to read that.

They're back at one of the bases; at this point the houses are not safe anymore. It's not just the government; it's the people, too.

Maybe Steve is right, this is what they want, this is what everybody wants and so far the only thing they have accomplished is violence, destruction, people getting hurt.

People like Yo-Yo.

Skye stares through the glass as they try to save her friend. She got hurt. Bad. She lost both her arms. They'll try to attach some mechanical prothesis like they did with Mike, like they did with Coulson. But this shouldn't have happened.

She rests her forehead against the window and closes her eyes.

He places his hand over her shoulder, squeezes lightly. "Hey. How's she doing?" He asks.

"She'll live" Skye swallows and lifts her head, turns to see Grant.

He looks genuinely worried. Things have changed in the last few weeks between him and the team. It's good. And he's lowered his walls, acting more like the Grant Ward she once knew, way too long ago. A kind man, a protector.

She wonders if things could have been different in any way; if she should have said that she didn't want to join SHIELD, if Grant could have chosen differently, if she shouldn't have gone down to that temple. Maybe if she would have done better by her mother, tried to save her from her own demons.

She shouldn't have thrown those crystals to the ocean.

They did say that wherever she went, death would follow. Maybe that wasn't that far from the truth.

"Skye, if you want to talk-"

"Please not now"

"Fine. The rest of the team is in the briefing room is you want to talk to them" Grant says and Skye sighs.

She nods, looks at the OR on last time before leaving.

The others are watching the news in silence.

"What did they say?" Skye asks when they walk in the room.

"Hydra is finally gone. Zemo's in Jail." Lincoln says. "Of course they didn't say a word about tracking chips and controlling powers but they did admit that Damage Control funded crossbones and other attacks" He adds

"They're also saying that Stark might take over SHIELD" Sebastian says as he turns the monitor off.

"Great. _Now_ everybody loves SHIELD again" She replies with a sigh.

"We still have a mission" Jerry adds, "We don't know what's going to happen with 42 or the prisoners but we have to get them out. Once we do that we'll have a freaking army. We have to make them pay for what they did to Yo-Yo"

"Jerry…" Skye starts "Most of those gifteds are not fighters. They barely know how to control their powers. We can't make them fight. I won't see more of my people die. This is not what we do"

"Yeah, more of your people…" The man answers while the rest observe in silence.

"You are my people too. It doesn't matter where your powers came from" She says and then looks at Grant "It doesn't matter if you don't have powers at all. It went too far. We're going to save all that people, not because they're Inhumans or gifted or heroes, but because they're counting on us"

Jerry finally stops, looks at the rest of the team.

"Look, I'm not proud of a lot of things I did, especially with Shield. But it's different with this team. You know that, Jerry. Unlike your father, you are a good man. That's why you're here. And I hope we'll keep trying to help as long as we can"

"You heard the boss" Sebastian adds and presses his lips together in a sad smile. "We are with you," He says to Skye.

The rest of the guys nod and then she feels Grant's hand over her shoulder.

They leave the room one by one, but Lincoln stays behind.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He says at Skye and then looks at Grant. He takes the cue and leaves, nodding at the man.

Skye turns and almost wants to say something, but she stays.

"Are you ok?" Lincoln asks.

"As ok as I can be" she sighs, "We never took a hit like this… Yo-Yo, she's strong but this shouldn't have happened"

"Of course not. But I hope you know that it was not your fault. We've talked about this"

"I know"

"Yeah. And this just happened, so this is not the reason why you've been so… not yourself lately. I know that-"

"It's a war, Lincoln. Sorry if I've lost some of my chill along the way"

He chuckles, leans against the wall. "I just want to know if everything is ok… with everything. You know that I'm here"

She frowns "I appreciate it, really. But now I'm just really tired. We have to fly tomorrow and-"

"Skye. Ward almost died today. He tried to save Yo-Yo. Well… he kind of did. It could have been worse"

"Yeah. I saw it. It's a very vivid memory, thank you" She mumbles, crosses her arms.

"What I'm saying is… I'm part of your team, but I'm also your friend. I've seen you loose people. I've seen you scared. None of us want you to feel like that. You've done a lot for this team and we have each other's backs." He says "And not just yours, so..."

"It's- thank you, for saying it. I… I really appreciate that you've been here, really, especially after-" She nods "You're a good friend" she takes a moment before meeting his gaze again "I'm sorry, Lincoln. I never said it, and I don't want to get awkward now but I feel like I let you down. I should have been more honest with you… about Grant. I didn't mean for that to happen… I couldn't-"

"Hey. You're being awkward now"

"Sorry" She looks down.

"It's ok. I'm happy for you. Just don't let everything that's going on ruin your happiness" He smiles and pats her arm before leaving the room.

She knows that Lincoln used to have feelings for her. Maybe Grant's right and he still does. And it's not like she wasn't interested in first place. They were getting closer, exploring what could have gotten somewhere, but then she decided to let Grant in again and left things like that.

It's not like there was a decision to make. It was always Grant. After the betrayal and the lies and pain, after she did all those things to him and they both tried to kill each other. It was always Grant Ward, the only person that she had really loved with everything she had.

That's a risk she never took, not even with the team or Coulson. Not even with her mother, because that time she came really close and it almost destroyed her. Just like everything else, she lost her too... twice if you think about it.

But for some reason, after all those horrible things Grant is still here.

She finds herself knocking at his door.

"We need to talk," She says when Grant opens, swallows that horrible feeling in her throat.

He steps aside and lets her in, closing the door when she's standing in the middle of his room.

"So, you want to talk now. Do I need to thank your bff for that?" He says and Skye turns to look at him. She doesn't look happy.

"Seriously. This is not the time for that " She shakes her head. Maybe she's been a little close to Lincoln lately, but he's been a good support. He's been there since the others left and became her closest friend.

"What I'm saying is… you've been acting weird. I don't care if it's Lincoln or anyone else in the team but I thought that if you ever felt the need to talk you would talk to me. It's not… I'm not being possessive or anything. I just want you to be ok. I'm not good at this but I can try for you. I just want to know what's going on in your head, you know? You've left me in the dark here"

She sighs, "Ok, I'm sorry. You're right. I guess I put you in a weird situation here"

"How's it weird?"

"We had an agreement. We said we would wait and we didn't. Now we're sleeping togeth-"

"I wouldn't say sleeping. You keep kicking me out of your bed"

"Fine. We're having sex, whatever but it's not like we…" She swallows, avoids his gaze and stares at the ceiling "We care about each other, right? We don't really talk…"

"We talk"

"Grant…"

"Fuck, Skye. What's your damn point? That we're not a serious thing? That I shouldn't be even asking?"

She looks down, shakes her head again and Grant can see that she's about to cry but the words just don't come out of her mouth.

"I've been trying to get to you" He adds.

She swallows and is finally able to speak. "You almost got your head chopped off. You almost died today… again"

"You know how hard I can be to kill" He tries to smile and reaches for her but she just moves away from him.

"It's not funny, Grant. My point is that I can't do it again. I can't loose again"

"I'm not going anywhere" He says and takes another step, trying to get closer again.

And she laughs, it almost sounds like a whimper though and she can't avoid the tear that rolls down her cheek. "That's funny. That's exactly what my mother said. Then she tried to kill me. But hey, you and I have been there already" She sobs and looks up again, wiping the tear with her own hand.

"And what do you want to do? Run from it?"

"Grant…"

"You're the one that came here wanting to talk. We're talking. This time it won't happen. What do you want me to say? I'm willing to fight for you but not if you're not going to do the same for me"

"I'm not afraid of fighting. I'm afraid of loosing. I'm afraid of how much I want to fight that I'm willing to leave everything else behind"

"And would it be that bad?"

She shakes her head. "There's no way to know when it's going to be over"

"Then we hang on" She finally lets him get closer and he cups Skye's face with his hands, making her look at him. "Don't be scared"

"Do you believe in what we're doing?"

He takes a moment before answering. "I believe in you and our team. We are going to save hundreds of innocent people. That doesn't mean that I believe in what brought us here in first place"

Her hands reach up to grab his wrists and then she squeezes, tries to smile but the fear is still there. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this"

"I could say the same the thing" He smiles but there's no trace of joy in his expression. It's more like a nostalgic smile. He still remembers that day but it feels like it was a lifetime ago, when they found Skye in that van and then nothing was the same in his life again. "So what do you want to do?"

Skye finally moves her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I want to stay here with you, and imagine that the world outside doesn't exist" She whispers against his lips and Grant almost moans when he misses the contact of her lips.

"I really meant that when I said it" He says, places his hands on her hips.

"I know. Me too. So lets make the right decision this time" She says and leans leans for another kiss.

They don't usually do slow and tender, but it somehow feels like the right time to try it. Every beat of her heart is telling her that this is everything she really wants; and it's not just pleasure, and it's not just attraction or that explosive connection that always existed between them.

He guides her body toward the bed and Skye doesn't even realize that they were moving until the back of her knees meet the mattress.

Grant stops.

"Do you really want me?" He asks, trying to slow down his breathing. "Just say that and I'll do anything"

The break allows Skye to take a breath too; she licks her lips and places her hands over his chest. Her eyes meeting his before saying those words for the first time in her life "I love you" then her fists grip the fabric of his sweater. "I can't bear the thought of loosing you. I couldn't survive that" Her words are a whisper in the middle of the silent room, but he still hears them. He freezes.

"I love you" He finally replies and leaves it like that. There's no need to add promises or pleas. Those three words say everything, his eyes, and the way his hands grasp her waist like he will never let go.

"I know" She states before kissing him again, pulling his body with hers until they're both in the center of the bed.

He smiles. The kind of smile that makes her heart melt, the kind of smile that remembers her of the first time she saw him smiling and she knew that something had started. Maybe he lied about a lot of things but part of that man she met once was the real Grant, mostly the parts he shared with her.

She reaches for the back of his head and then pulls him down to kiss him again. "I don't want to think. I don't want to stop because it might go away," She says as she starts removing Grant's clothing, her hands reaching for the hem of his sweater and his lips already leaving a trail of kisses down her neck.

He's also pulling down her pants, moving his hand inside her t-shirt. His hands are everywhere; and his lips keep going down, kissing and biting even over the fabric.

She moans softly and finally manages to pull his blue sweater over his head, and then helps him with her own garments.

"It won't happen again" He says, and Skye closes her eyes and enjoys the assault of his mouth on her as he continues to whisper sweet words over her skin.

He takes his time, enjoys the way she moans and shivers under his touch, and he'll make it last, no matter how much he aches to be inside her right now.

They are both in their underwear, and he keeps going south. His mouth kisses her hipbone and Skye reaches for his head, pulling his hair. She arches against him and lets his thumbs hook around her panties and pull them down, slowly. His eyes focused on her core, already wet and waiting for him.

"You're perfect, Skye. You're everything I've ever wanted" He says and hears her gasping when his breath touches her inner thigh. Her legs spread before him as a a response, a silent invitation.

"I need you," She whispers but it almost turns into a moan as she feels the trail of his stubble as he moves his kisses up her thigh. He's inches apart from where she wants him right now.

"You have me" He says before placing his mouth on her core, and his eyes focus on the way her mouth opens to let out a loud whimper. Her eyes are closed and her chest rises and falls with the rhythm of her erratic breathing before him. Her whole body starts writhing as he keeps moving his tongue against her sensitive flesh and that might be his favorite view in the whole world. "And you're mine" He says.

"Yes" She replies in her blissful state. "Oh fuck, yes Grant" She almost screams when his tongue draws small circles around her clit, and then licks back down and thrust inside her. He'll never get tired of hearing the sound she makes as her orgasm builds, or the way she grips the sheets with one hand and reaches for her own breasts with the other, all spread and sweaty and beautiful before him, like a goddess.

He has to keep her body in place with one hand when Skye starts moving harder, practically rubbing her core against his face, needing more friction, chasing her own release. And he's no one to deny this goddess what she so desperately wants. His finger slides inside her easily and tears another scream from her mouth as he touches just the right spot. He secures her right leg over his shoulder and then continues his assault until she's just arching and moaning. He swears that the whole bed shakes for half a second just before she comes.

Her whole body doesn't stop tough. She's a squirming mess right before him. Her eyes are still closed and she's biting her lip so hard that she might draw blood in a desperate attempt to muffle her cries. He was wrong before. This is actually his favorite view, as Skye comes down from her high, all because of him. Only for him. He kisses her inner thigh once more. "You're amazing" He says and then her hand his reaching for his hair, trying to pull him up.

He wants to wipe his face, at least, but she doesn't even let him. She's kissing him hard, feeling her own taste on his lips and his chin and his whole face. She doesn't care. She just bites his lip and then pushes her tongue inside his mouth frantically.

He feels her leg moving up his calf and his thigh and then her hands pulling his boxers down. "Off" She says in a hoarse voice but her movements are not that coordinated to accomplish the task.

So Grant helps, pulling back and kneeling between her legs, offering her a very nice view of his naked, perfectly sculpted body when he gets rid of his last piece of clothing. She licks her lips in response. Grant is painfully hard right now, but it still seems like he wants to take his time. And Skye is not going to complain.

But she does move her foot up his leg and then his abs. She smiles at him. "You're mine too" She repeats his words.

He places his hand over her feet and then grabs her ankle to wrap her leg around his waist as he leans over her body. "I am" He says, still smiling and then she's cupping his face in her hands, kissing him again but just slower, adjusting to his pace.

His hand reaches down to guide himself to her entrance and then he slides in slowly. Grant moans against her mouth. He's so worked up now that he has a hard time trying not to loose control just by feeling her walls clench around him. She's so hot and tight and wet and perfect. A perfect fit, a perfect woman. "Oh God, Skye" He reaches for her hands until he can intertwine his fingers with hers, and then moves her arms up, pinning them to each side of her head.

They just stare at each other like that for a few seconds.

Then he starts moving. It's still slow. He moves his hips back all the way until he's almost out and then slides back in, making Skye gasp and squeeze his hands harder.

"It's really good" She whispers.

"I know" He answers and clenches his jaw as he repeats the movement. This time she plants her feet against the mattress and moves her hips up to meet his. They set the pace and they don't stop.

Skye wants to ask if this it what it feels like to make love to someone, if there's a line somewhere that makes a difference. But she doesn't want to sound too cheesy. It still feels like that though. It's not like anything has changed. There's the same desire and need, the same love that just wasn't put into words before. Maybe it's just that they allowed themselves to admit it and bring down the last wall between them. There's no uncertainty now. They both want this, not just the sex, but also a future together. It was safer to act like they could just walk away with their hearts intact but now they crossed the last line, there's not coming back, and this feels like it's worth the risk.

She closes her eyes as his lips leave hers and kiss her cheek, her eyelid, and then move to her ear.

"I love you so much" His breath feels erratic against her ear. She moans his name in response. "Yes, Skye" He replies and then bites her earlobe.

She frees her hands from his grip and reaches for his neck and his back, pressing his body closer until there's no gap between them. He almost protests.

"I want to touch you" She says against his ear, then wraps one leg around him, slightly changing the angle of her body. "Just like this" She adds and then kisses down his jaw, wraps her arm around his neck until his face is buried against hers.

"Shit, Skye" He moves a little harder, struggling to keep things slow when her nails dig into his back and she keeps moaning next to his ear. "Skye…"

He repeats her name until he can't even hear his own voice. Her hands continue moving down until they are in his ass and she pushes him faster, he hears her moaning, her whole body starting to tense under his.

The heat fills the room, or at least she thinks that because she feels like burning, and he feels so deliciously hot on her. She focuses in his moans, he's too lost, sucking on her neck, leaving marks and making all those sounds that let her know that he's about to explode.

He comes first, let's out a muffled cry against her skin as his body shakes violently, thrusting into hers harder and faster. His hand reaches between them to take her with him, and it doesn't take much. His thumb rubs on her clit a few times as he rubs himself against her faster and then she's flying with him, holding him tight, arching against his body and breathing fast.

The force of her second orgasm makes him feel like he could just pass out. Her muscles wrap and contract violently around him until he has to grasp the pillows, his knuckles going white and the only thing his brain can process is her name when he spills his seed inside her.

They stay like that for a long time, barely moving, feeling the erratic beat of their hearts fill the room until they start to slow down. Grant lifts his head to look at her, moving a few strands of hair sticking to her face before kissing her fully on the lips.

He rolls them until they are lying on their sides, facing each other and then pulls out of her body, sees how she winces in discomfort and then she's tangling their legs together, searching for more closeness.

She smiles.

"What?" Grant asks and Skye cups his face with her hand.

"I like this" She says.

"Yeah. Since I'm a gentleman I'm not going to kick you out of my bed. In fact, you can stay here forever"

She chuckles "Shut up Grant. I'm sorry about that. For what's worth is not going to happen again" She says and wraps her legs tighter around him, pulling him closer. "Ever" She adds and presses a kiss to his lips again.

His hands move from her back to her hips as the kiss heats up. He moans against her mouth when she bites his lip and then assaults his mouth with her tongue. She pushes him on his back and onto the mattress, straddling him when she moves on top without breaking the kiss.

When she does Grant moans in protest, almost chasing her lips as she moves away. He looks besotted, completely lost in the sight of her swollen lips and dark eyes, and how her hair falls like silk over her chest. She glistens in the dim light of the room, and he wants her bad, as if he never had her before.

She's leaning down to kiss him again, but then she stops.

It takes him a few seconds to hear the sound of her phone.

She hesitates but then looks at the watch on his nightstand. It's almost 3am, whatever is happening, must be important. "I'll take just a second" She says and Grant nods. He checks on his wristwatch and reaches the same conclusion.

Plus, it's not a bad view when Skye jumps out of the bed to look for her discarded pants.

She finds the phone in her pocket and reads the message.

He immediately knows that something's not right. She looks concerned enough for Grant to focus on her face.

She looks at him. "Steve is here," She says and then Grant sits up. "Coulson too"

"What's going on?"

"The timetable has moved" She says and then starts grabbing her clothes from the floor. When she finishes she looks at him. "I'm sorry"

He just smiles and then Skye rushes to his bathroom. He goes to find clean clothes too, at least they finally talked and they'll have all the time in the world to finish this later.


	4. There's no Winners in War Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team joins Coulson and Steve to free the prisoners from 42. They meet Stark and the pro-accord heroes and a fight ensues. Skye is faced with the biggest of her fears when she's not able to save Grant in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angsty, but it's not that bad. The war is over!

"We're in position, Cap" Skye says on her comms, her team's quinjet has taken

position on the south side of the complex and they're waiting for instructions. "Cap?"

"Yeah about that… forget the stealth. We have company"

"Shit" She says and then turns to the team "Move!"

And then they're running.

"Only non lethal force" Skye tells the team ad they reach one of the outside walls around the installations. She places her hand over it and then the cracks spread around her hand rapidly.

"Let me get that for you m'lady" Jerry says and then easily punches through the wall, opening a path for the team.

"Daisy. I'm going to need you here" Steve says on her comms and Skye freezes.

"We're already in. We're going to free the-"

"Everybody came to the party. We're gonna need to punch them with something stronger, we need it now. Coulson's team will rally at your current position"

"Ok. I'll be there" She says and the whole team is expecting for new orders.

"I can take you" Manifold offers.

"No. We stick to the plan. We need you here" Then she looks at Grant "If we get everybody out, to safety we won't need to worry about causalities. Wait for Coulson's team here"

They all nod in agreement and before she's about to leave Grant moves and grabs her arm.

"Be careful," He says and the rest of the team slowly move aside to give them space. They're clearly trying to be discrete but failing. It's not like Grant cares.

So he kisses her.

"I will. Just, take care of the kids and make sure you come back ok?" She smiles but she's visibly worried.

"I will" He says and then lets her go.

"We're so not your kids" Jerry says, getting elbowed in the stomach by Lincoln, but of course he doesn't even flinch.

"Let's just wait for Coulson" Grant says and tries not to think too much about it. At least he trusts the team now, he feels good with them, and he only has to worry about Skye in the front line.

And she'll be just fine. She was always the strongest one.

* * *

"Now close your eyes, gentlemen. This might hurt" Steve says before attacking Stark. Sharon and Bucky are fighting by his side.

Skye takes a second before she can process the whole thing. All the heroes pro-accords before them with a small group of soldiers. Hawkeye is staring at her.

"Kid, I don't think that an arrow is gonna stop the vision"

"Oh, right" She says and then a wave of her powers send the android flying back.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Clint says and then shoots explosive arrows.

Skye proceeds to destabilize the ground, which gives Steve the upper hand.

War machine lands next to her.

"I think I've got a bone to pick with you"

* * *

"If I get out can I trust you to cover my back?" Coulson asks Grant, he's in front of him covering from heavy fire behind another wall.

"I'll give you something better than that" Grant smirks and then taps on his comms "Sparkplug?"

Then they hear a explosion and the light go off. Grant moves out of his cover and starts shooting. Seconds later the fire ceases.

Coulson and his team of agents meet with Skye's team inside.

Grant is in front of a computer "1 level open, 6 to go" He hits one final key and then they hear and alarm.

"Any friendlies?"

"Murdock, Cage and Maximoff" Grant replies.

"That's a good start. Let's go say hello"

"Manifold. Take all the gifteds to the quinjet. Druid, go with them. They're going to need someone there, but if someone wants to help, let them, we're going to need them"

"Wait" Lincoln interrupts "Skye didn't want any Inhumans fighting"

"It's just if they want to help. We need all the advantage we can get"

"Ward's right" Coulson adds "Now let's go"

* * *

Something is very wrong. This time she's not able to break the armor apart.

"We did some upgrades since the last time" Rhodey says and then moves his arm up the shoot some kind of dart. It looks like the same projectile that the soldiers use to inhibit Inhuman's powers for a short period of time. Skye is able to duck in time and then places her hand on the ground, cracking it under Rhodey's feet. He looses his balance for a second and then flies up. "Come on, Daisy" He lands again, and punches her.

Skye barely covers her face with her metallic gloves but the force of the impact is enough to send her to the floor.

"I have other tricks, you know?" She moves her arm up, but nothing seems to happen.

"Impressing" Rhodey says but then when he tries to move there's a short circuit in his helmet "what the…" then in all the pieces of his armor.

"Have you ever seen that thing when a turtle falls on its back and it's not able to get up?" Skye smiles and approaches Rhodes, then she places her hand on his chest.

A small wave sends the heavy armor to the floor. He's not even able to open it to get out. "Come on!"

There's one loud crack on the side of the main building that makes Skye turn. Wanda, Matt, Luke and a small group of people that she doesn't recognize are joining the fight. Not that there's much fight left.

Hawkeye and Falcon are next to an unconscious Black Widow, all the prison guards lay on the cracked floor in the same condition. Most of them were inside the building, Skye assumes. Only start and Black Panther still stand.

"We wanted to keep things civilized. The army is coming" Stark says. His armor looks a little damaged

Steve is bleeding "That didn't feel too civil" He can hear the sound of helicopters approaching "All these people should be free, Tony. At the end of the day that's what they're going to be"

"What are you going to do? Let them run free? Must of them don't even know how to control their powers. They can sneeze and level a city by accident. You said it yourself, Steve. We try to save as much people as we can, that doesn't mean that we can save everybody. Sacrifices must be made"

"How about sacrificing the world's protection to give one nation human weapons"

"Well, cap. You're the one wearing an A on your helmet" Tony says and then charges his hand repulsors.

* * *

When Manifold returns once more he speaks to Grant "6 of Coulson's quinjets have already departed"

"Great. One more level"

The teams move, they're in the last floor and moving to the main control room when they hear an explosion.

Grant taps on his comms "Skye?"

"We're retreating to the main building, are you already in the last floor?. The army is here. We're under heavy fire!"

"Yes! Are you ok? Skye!"

"Yes. Falcon is taking the quinjet. He's gonna pick us up in the roof"

Another explosion and more gunfire.

"Do you need back up?"

"No. Get the last prisoners!"

"I'm coming"

"Grant, please" She says.

"We need to go" Lincoln grabs Grant's arm and he pulls it back violently "Ward, she's fine"

Coulson is talking on his comms, and then he speaks to Skye's team "The first two quinjets have returned. We're ready to send the rest of the prisoners. What's wrong?"

"Skye…"

"You heard it. We have our Mission, Ward. And our mission is to get these people out" so-"

"It's been too long since I don't get and order from you" Grant threatens.

"Ward. We don't have time for this, please" Lincoln insists, standing between the two men.

"Fine" Grant finally says and follows the rest of the team.

They find the usual resistance, a handful of soldiers guarding the control room, armed with regular guns but also power inhibitors. This is the level where they keep the most dangerous prisoners, according to the records.

* * *

"Damn" Skye says, stumbling a little as they keep running upstairs.

Steve stops "You ok?" He looks at her hand, covering her side "Skye?"

"It's ok it just grazed me. We need to keep moving"

"Come on" Steve moves and kneels in front of her.

"Wait. Is Captain America offering me a piggyback ride?"

"Are you going to say no?"

"Alright" She hops on his back and then he keeps moving, as if she weighted nothing.

They make it to the roof, where Falcon is already waiting with another jet. Steve carries her inside.

But then she hears Grant's voice on her comms.

"Skye! Where are you?"

"On the roof, are you already out?"

"We had problem. Manifold got shot with one of the power inhibitors. We're on foot, going to the roof too"

"Are you kidding me? All the soldiers-" She looks at Bucky and Sharon, they're already loading their rifles and running back to the door that leads inside the building, which is at least 300 yards away from the Jet is on the huge building's roof.

She jumps out of her seat but then Matt grabs her.

Iron man and the vision appear flying in the far corner of the building at the same time that Jerry opens the door. He's yelling and making gestures at Sharon and Bucky. The rest of the team, prisoners and agents follow him. Grant and Coulson are the last to go through the door.

Grant closes the door and then starts running too. Sharon and Bucky have stopped and they're running back to the quinjet.

They're running. They're running from something.

And everybody keeps yelling.

"Get the plane ready" Steve orders to Falcon and he immediately goes back to the pilot's seat.

Skye pushes Matt and starts running.

It's going to explode. She can feel it. She feels it before everybody does.

The wave is imperceptible for the others but she can feel it a fraction of second before they hear the explosion. It happens in the corner of the building. The agents and the prisoners run past her but Grant is just halfway there when the blast breaks through the roof. Stark and the vision are hit first and it's huge. It sends Grant, Coulson and some of the others flying. Bucky grabs her before she falls too.

"Skye!" Steve yells a few feet behind her.

She can already feel the ground destabilizing under her boots. It's going to break. A huge chunk of the building is already falling apart and Grant is still on the floor. She grabs Bucky's metallic arm and they run to help the others. Sharon and Steve are following them.

They help Lincoln and Manifold first but she keeps running. The floor is already crumbling down, reaching Grant.

Her stomach hurts. She's not going to be fast enough with a bleeding wound.

"Coulson! Help Grant!" Skye yells. Her mentor is already up and he's the closest one. He does not move.

"Skye! Get out" Grant yells and he stumbles.

She's so close. She reaches for him and runs past Coulson.

The floor cracks under his feet. It's to fast. Small pieces of concrete disappear under him and he tries to reach the next one in time but she already sees him falling. He's not fast enough.

She's not fast enough. She cries his name when she sees him go down. "GRANT! NO! JESUS GRANT!"

She's going to jump. She's ready to jump but then a strong arm grabs her, pulls her fast because the floor keeps cracking and it's reaching her too. She has no strength to fight it. Her vision is too blurry with tears and she wants to die. She can't do this again.

She barely feels when she's on the floor, a body protecting her from the impact as they fall, then arms wrap around her. She sees the team, she sees Sharon's hand but she pushes it away.

"Grant" It's the only thing she can say. She has not cried since they buried her mother but she does not care that everybody's here. She can still see his eyes. He was never afraid to die, but this time he looked terrified. She's in Steve's arms and he sits up, still hugging her, stroking her arms gently.

"Skye. We need to get out of here," He says.

"I won't just leave him here" She tries to calm down, wipes away her tears. She stands up although her legs are still weak and shaking.

Coulson approaches her "The army's still here. They might get back up and the building-"

Skye points at him "You. Shut the fuck up" then she turns to her team "I'm going to get his body. You should leave"

"No way" Lincoln says and the rest of the team nods in agreement.

"Sam" Sharon says "We're going to need another pair of wings," Sam nods before flying away.

"Barton. Take this jet and get everybody in" Steve says and they proceed to board the jet. "I'm taking the next one" he, then, takes his helmet off and follows Skye. She's already walking back to the ruins, followed by her team.

No matter what, she's not going to abandon him here.

* * *

It's very late, but the base is far from quiet after the last… events.

She meets Steve in the briefing room. He's staring at the monitor, where there's a speech from a representative of the newly formed Nations' Council for Superheroes Affairs.

"They told you. Since you're still not talking to Coulson let me guess… Sharon?"

"I heard her yelling. Can't blame her"

"Are you here to give me a hard time, too?"

"It's your decision. I guess you have your reasons"

"I do. I'm surrendering myself in the morning. Someone has to put and end to this, before more people die"

"Those soldiers at the prison… it was one of my people"

"We had no idea what his powers could do, the explosion could have killed all of us in the roof. We can't control it" He sighs "They're changing the accords, trying to reach a middle ground. They just need my head to pretend that they won. I'm going to give them just that"

"Maybe I don't agree with that but… I can only tell you to do what feels right"

He smiles "Thanks. At least we did some good"

"Yeah. We did"

"Skye… I was told, once, that I was just a man that couldn't live without a war. And it cost me" He pats her arm "Don't let that happen to you. Life gave you a second chance here so… my last advice to you is… take it"

"It's probably not going to be the last, you know that, right?"

"Hope so"

She leaves.

She has to go to his room now. Grant must be waiting, probably trying to move or doing something stupid and hurting himself.

On her way she meets Coulson in the hallway.

"Is Steve still in the briefing room?"

She nods and tries to walk past him.

"Skye…What happened was not my fault"

"No. I know that. Standing there, wanting to let him die is. I'll always be grateful for everything you did for me, but I'm done"

"So you really do love him"

"You ever doubted it?

Coulson shakes his head and then Skye goes.

She opens the door in the medical area. Every time she sees him it feels like she can breath again, just like when they found him in the rubbles, crawling and trying to call her name with a hoarse, barely audible voice. He was lucky he didn't fell all the way down, but still, he broke his legs, his right shoulder and several ribs, one of them punctured his lung and he also has really bad burns on his side. So long story short, he looks like a mummy with all the bandages and casts and tubes. He's in a lot of pain.

But he's alive.

She smiles and sits on her chair, it's already placed next to him and there's a blanket. She has barely moved from his side.

"Hey handsome" She smiles and Grant manages to move his neck a little. He grunts some kind of answer. "Don't move" She places her hand over his chest, gently. It's reassuring to feel his heart beating under her palm. It stopped a couple of times on their way back but she would always bring him back, making it beat again with her powers.

"Skye…" He whispers.

"Do you need something for the pain? Water or anything?"

He shakes his head and smiles and then, after a small effort, he moves his hand over hers.

"You need to get better soon because, I have an idea. We can have that long vacation we talked about now"

He tries to smile.

"It's over and we more than deserve it so, the moment you can walk I'm talking you out of here with me. We're going to find a nice beach and forget about everything, just the two of us, sounds good?"

He squeezes her hand. "Love… you"

"I love you too" Her eyes are already wet when she leans down and kisses his forehead "Thank you" She sobs.

"What?" Grant asks.

"For not leaving me"

"You didn't… there"

"I'll never leave you" She smiles at him and Grant finally relaxes, finally falling asleep again.


	5. A Nice Time on the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just the two of them, a nice, lonely beach and their plans for the future. Skye finally allows herself to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because I couldn't end it without smut and fluff and pretty things.

He no longer wakes up early. What's the point? He's in a comfy bed, in their cabin next to an almost unknown beach, amazing view and the sound of the ocean included, with a gorgeous, naked woman peacefully sleeping next to him. It's his idea of a perfect paradise.

His hand starts wandering down her back and he hears her sigh. The sun is up, very bright on their faces but Skye doesn't seem to mind. Her hand creeps up his chest and then he hears another content sight.

"We drank too much last night," She says.

"You did"

"And you took advantage of it"

"You ripped my shirt!"

"I don't remember any of that," She says, kissing his chest "You might need to refresh my memory" Then she licks and Grant moans. She's climbing up his body, her legs pressing against his growing erection and his hands reaching for her hips.

She's a sight. The sun makes her, now short, hair in shades of red and gold and bronze, and her tanned skin glistens under the light when she sits up, straddling him. She's smiling.

"You are so beautiful," He says, moving his hands up and down her legs.

She bites her lip and then leans down to kiss him, and she doesn't hold back. Why would she? It's just the two of them. She made sure that no one in the world will be able to find them and then they grabbed all the money they needed from Grant's deposit boxes and headed for a distant Island. It's been 2 weeks now. They have more enough to live; they have enough to start over.

And they haven't discussed it but she wants that. She wants normal, a house and a job and Grant, maybe a dog…

"What?" He says, mostly because Skye is grinning like an idiot against his lips.

"Nothing. I'm happy" She says and then kisses along his jaw. "You make me happy" She says against his ear before nibbling and making Grant moan. He's so sensitive, and she can feel against her belly that he's as aroused as she is right now.

So she sits up again, Grant only protests until she grabs him in her hand, then his head falls back at the same time that his hips push up. He always melts under her touch, a man like that. It always makes her feel so hot and eager to take him. She still takes her time, just to see him bite his lip when she pumps him.

"Skye…"

"Do you want me now?" She teases, her voice hoarse with lust. She barely recognizes it.

"I want you" He reaches for her hips, digs his fingers on her skin hard, trying to pull her. But if she wants to play dirty he can do that too. His thumb presses against her clit, starts drawing circles around it until she cries his name.

"Shit, Grant" She's panting.

She can't wait any longer. Her own hand guides him to her entrance and she takes him in, slowly, moaning his name all the way down. She takes a second to adjust to his size, feeling the delicious way that he fills her, only then she moves.

His hand moves to her back to pull her close. He wants to kiss her and she's not about to complain when his arm is completely wrapped around her body and their chests pressed against each other's. Grant starts pushing into her, not too fast, they have time for that and Skye moves to meet his thrusts, it's always a natural rhythm between them, it's so good.

"Touch me" She says almost out of breath and grant complies, gladly. His left hand is on her ass and his right hand reaches for her boobs, squeezing and pinching one hardened nipple between his fingers.

"Wait a second" He says and then flips them over so he can be on top. "That's better" He says when his mouth get full access to her throat and then her full breasts.

She can only dig her nails in his hair, pushing him down because he wants his lips all over her body, and he's always so happy to do it. The bed shakes a little when he wraps his hot mouth around one nipple, he's always so proud when he manages to make her shake things, it still happens from time to time, especially when she's this close and he plays with her boobs. She's lucky he's so obsessed with them, and also obsessed with making her cry out loud and loose her head, which is exactly what he's accomplishing right now.

"Fuck Grant, yes!" She's still pressing his face against his chest, feeling him bite and lick and suck on her sweaty skin.

He's pounding into her faster, feeling the first signs of her release approaching.

"Grant, yes, yes. Harder!" She whimpers, wrapping her legs tight around his waist.

His mouth in on her lips again, muffling all her desperate sounds and his own as he fucks her hard into the mattress. Her hand is on his hair again, their foreheads pressed together when she sees her close her eyes, open her mouth in a perfect O as she moans louder.

Her orgasm rips through her from her core to the tip of her curled toes. She arches against Grant and his body is the only thing anchoring her to this world, everything else is just noise, but he keeps moving, slower, but making her cry out loud with each thrust.

He's going to make her come again. His hand reaches between their bodies to rub her clit and it's not going to take long.

"Grant please" She begs in a barely audible voice, followed by another moan.

He readjusts their position by moving her legs up his back and then a few more thrust is all it takes to feel her whole body shaking, her walls clamping around him and pushing is own release. He goes still over her squirming body, growling against her neck, sucking hard on her skin as he comes inside her hot, welcoming body.

Skye has gone boneless, her eyes closed and her arms and legs completely spread on the bed. She's breathing with her mouth and he can feel the erratic rhythm of her heart and chest as it rises and falls.

He pulls out of her and lies in the same condition; he just moves his hand to grab hers.

It takes her a few minutes to be able to speak again. "I love morning sex" she smiles and presses her legs together; still riding the last waves of pleasure form her last orgasm.

"More like lunch sex" He says.

"That explains a lot"

"You're hungry," He states.

"Hell yes" She turns to face him "For food" She clarifies when she sees his smirk.

"I'll cook you lunch"

"Best boyfriend ever"

"Best girlfriend ever"

"You provide me with food, a roof and multiple orgasms. Best boyfriend ever" She smiles and then kisses him.

* * *

Skye appears in the kitchen later, wearing shorts and the top half of her bikini.

"Do you see this?"

He sees it, all the marks on her neck and her chest.

"We're alone here" He says, the bastard looks so proud of himself. "Who's going to see you?"

"I wanted to go to the town"

"Wear a t-shirt"

"So you did it on purpose?" She says, dipping her finger in his plate of mashed potatoes and then sucking it.

She sees him swallow.

"Are you gonna play the possessive, jealous boyfriend card? I didn't get this ripped with all those years of Shield fitness to keep it under a t-shirt" She teases.

He clears his throat and then goes back to the fish he's frying. "I'm not gonna fall for that"

"What?"

"You're teasing me" He smiles "And you were always hot, even without the shield fitness"

"Good answer" She leans against the counter. "It's not like it's going to last anyway"

"Why?"

"No training, your cooking skills" She says staring at the pan "And well, it's a matter of time before the pill fails at this rhythm" She jokes but Grant freezes. "I was just joking, it's like 99% effective"

"Uhm… what about the 1%?"

"Come on Grant, it's nothing to freak out"

"No, no… would it… would it be that bad?"

She stares at his eyes "Are we going to have that talk now?"

"Why not?"

"Your fish is burning" She smiles.

"Shit!" He puts off the fire and moves the pan "It's not that bad"

"No, it's not" She says, still smiling, and not talking about the fish. "Grant…"

"Hmm?" He says, grabbing a plate.

"Tell me what you want"

He leaves the pan on the counter and turns to face her. "A life with you" He says without a hint of doubt or hesitation.

"What's stopping us?"

"Would you want that?"

She smiles "Yeah"

He swallows again, this time he looks nervous "Ok… wow" He looks around as if he's searching for something "Uhm… let's go to the town. We get a map. We pick a place in the world"

"You'll have to teach me how to cook. I don't want to feel completely useless" She looks at their lunch, already served in plates "Wait, I can work and you can be one of those stay at home dads" She jokes and Grant's grin grows even wider.

"A dad?"

"I kind of went too far there, didn't I?"

He shakes his head and then grabs her waist, pulling her for a kiss "I had never heard you make plans like that"

"The world might go to hell but for once in my life I would like to believe that it won't"

"It won't" He kisses her again.

And it does, but that's a whole other story.

* * *

**AND IT'S OVER! Any thoughts? I just wanted to treat you to an ending full of promises of happy endings and alien invasions because it's Marvel hahha Maybe I'll write a sequel for this one when we have the Infinity war! who knows?**


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